Housing

Roanoke, Virginia

Northern Virginians Look to Community Land Trusts to Increase Affordable Housing

As the state's real estate costs rise, community land trusts struggle to access funding and land in order to build more affordable housing.

October 7, 2021 - Greater Greater Washington

Houston

Houston's Land Market Heats Up

The pandemic has spurred a sharp spike in land sales in the Houston area as more people look to buy homes and developers buy land for industrial uses.

October 7, 2021 - Houston Chronicle

Atlanta Civic Center

Housing Trust Fund Proposed for Atlanta

An ordinance proposed by an Atlanta City Councilmember would establish the "Building the Beloved Community Affordable Housing Trust Fund"—with a commitment to spend 2 percent of the city's general fund annually.

October 7, 2021 - Atlanta Civic Circle

Charlotte Housing Development

The Consequences of 'Runaway' Housing Prices

There's been no shortage of discussion and debate about what's causing the price of homes in the United States to skyrocket at record rates, but less discussion of the consequences for housing market trends on the broader economy.

October 7, 2021 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

A map showing zoning for the South District in the city of Iowa City.

Missing Middle Housing, Form-Based Code Added to the Zoning Menu in Iowa City

The Iowa City Planning Commission approved a rezoning amendment that will allow new missing middle density and implement a form-based code for the city's South District. The city could expand the concepts as it expands the city in the future.

October 6, 2021 - Iowa City Press Citizen

Stahl House Los Angeles

Million-Dollar Homes Becoming Standard Fare Across Los Angeles

As households with means seek to escape crowded apartment buildings and take advantage of historically low mortgage rates, average home prices of over $1 million are proliferating across the LA region.

October 6, 2021 - Los Angeles Times

Washington

Eviction Moratorium Spurs Passionate Debate in Seattle

Renter protections are a contentious issue, but that only increases the need for honest and transparent debate.

October 5, 2021 - Crosscut

Site plan for Urban Oasis Catalyst LLC development around Westside Park

Affordable Housing Planned Around Atlanta's New Westside Park

The 65 new units will include single-family homes with ADUs, duplexes, and fourplexes, according to Invest Atlanta.

October 5, 2021 - Urbanize Atlanta

Philadelphia Construction

Affordable Housing Bonus Program Expanded in Philadelphia

The city of Philadelphia launched a height and density bonus in 2018 to create incentives for the development of affordable housing, but so far the results have proven underwhelming.

October 5, 2021 - PlanPhilly

Home For Sale Signs

How Do We Calculate Demand for Housing?

Actual demand for a place's housing might exceed increases in the number of residents or households.

October 4, 2021 - Michael Lewyn

Town Homes

Atlanta's Pro-Density 'Comprehensive Development Plan' Stalls in City Council

Planning is politics, an Atlanta case study.

October 4, 2021 - SaportaReport

California Wildfire

California Bans Insurance Companies From Dropping Homeowners in Wildfire Zones

The one-year moratorium is a stopgap measure to assist homeowners affected by recent wildfires as the state assesses ways of addressing the root causes of increasingly damaging natural disasters.

October 3, 2021 - Sacramento Bee

California Houses

Eliminating Single-Family Zoning Alone Won't Solve California's Housing Crisis

While zoning reforms can help reduce barriers to building more housing, high construction costs and local opposition mean that the state won't see an immediate boom in density.

October 1, 2021 - Slate

Coronavirus

More Insight Into the Effects of the Pandemic for Rental Property Landlords

A pair of recent surveys attempt to shed light on the changing business and property management practices of landlords during the pandemic.

September 30, 2021 - Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University

Lawns and Suburban Homes

U.S. Housing Prices Continue Record-Breaking Pace

July marked four straight months of record-breaking increases for housing prices nationwide, according to the latest housing market data.

September 30, 2021 - U.S. World News and Report

Houston Townhouse

Is Historic Preservation Zoning?

In a victory for preservationists, the Texas Supreme Court upheld Houston's Historic Preservation Ordinance despite a lawsuit alleging that the ordinance constitutes illegal zoning rules.

September 30, 2021 - SLoG Law Blog

Germany

Berlin Voters Want to Expropriate 240,000 Apartments

A potentially watershed vote in the German capital.

September 30, 2021 - The Washington Post

A large group of press and media surround New York City mayoral candidate Eric Adams.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Proposes Ambitious Housing Plan to Convert Dormant Hotels

Eric Adams, Democratic candidate for New York City mayor, announced a proposal to convert existing hotel rooms to supportive and affordable housing. The plan faces obstacles in statewide building codes and local zoning regulations.

September 30, 2021 - Gothamist

Glendale, California

How the Iconic Dingbat Took Over Los Angeles

The low-slung, car-oriented apartment buildings represent a mid-century solution to a housing shortage and offer valuable lessons for new development.

September 28, 2021 - Bloomberg CityLab

Harvey Floods Houston

NPR: HUD Sells Flood-Prone Homes Without Disclosing Risks

The troubling trend is particularly pronounced in lower-income communities, where experts worry households are being inadvertently set up for big financial losses.

September 28, 2021 - NPR

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.